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HUD to Ubuntu
by admin ·
The Head-Up Display , which Shuttleworth has presented yesterday in his blog, is an interesting concept. Who has not seen it yet:
Where it is actually described quickly: Instead of menus in the window below the title bar there is a context-sensitive search input, accessed by pressing a key combination, which scans the menu items and more. A few thoughts:
Such a search bar has several origins. Gnome-Do, green, but also the terminal itself, is probably not on the reference for no reason at the end of the video. Want to get rid of the menu also has prominent predecessor, namely Chrome and Firefox it plagiarized.
To remove from the M WIMP has consequences for the usability of the interface. A menu has advantages and disadvantages: It is placed in the Gui features a fixed place and it makes visible otherwise invisible features. Example of the first menu item is “user to retrieve” in pidgins buddy menu. Is the classic example of the latter Edit menu with Copy, Cut and Paste. This is a special case, even under Linux, because the function is separated by pressing Ctrl + C as well as highlight the mouse works and is therefore doubly occupied, and yet the fixed location in the menu for inexperienced users helpful.
Admittedly, in many programs you do not need this duplication, it sure enough, when the GUI contains all necessary elements, making the menu then has much less benefit. But I can not imagine GIMP without using the menu.
Furthermore, a menu can be operated with a mouse or keyboard. It can be searched, and it can display shortcuts. The HUD can however be used with a keyboard. Wrong, of course, with voice input, what Shuttleworth described as a logical next step, which he is quite right.
It is however not compete with fixed shortcuts, which can indeed still exist, regardless of the HUD.
It does, however, no index. Detectability is explicitly mentioned in the video as a feature, and yes, a search for a function, there is clearly something. In the menu you could find yourself on the other hand, visually go through the menu, rather than have to guess the name. Something whose exact name I do not know, can be found in the menu. Moreover, the fixed place: The HUD can and will have to learn what can be great if this can be quickly learns the address book, which names starting with the letter C is probably meant. The same menu functions on the other hand, requires my attention, when the menu item slipped from second to first search result.
(A few of these points come from the Hacker News comment thread . You can now test ).
Without having used it so far I like the HUD. I also liked Gnome-Do. A major contextual command line search is virtually certain. I am not convinced that we should sacrifice the benefits of a menu. I do not suffer at all, but some programs and functions of the visibility function. That there should exist initially parallel to the menu seems to be very useful.